Chateau de Ecouen

Dominating the plains of France, this château is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture. Built in the 16th century for Grand Constable Anne de Montmorency, the most powerful man in the kingdom after the king, it was designed by the greatest artists of the era (Jean Bullant, Jean Goujon). The building impresses with its classical rigor and majesty. Since 1977, it has housed the National Museum of the Renaissance, making it a unique place where form and content are in perfect harmony. Inside, the collections are breathtaking: gold and silver work, Iznik ceramics, Limoges enamels, and above all, the famous 75-meter-long tapestry of David and Bathsheba, a masterpiece of 16th-century tapestry. The original frescoed fireplaces are the largest and best preserved in France. Unlike the Loire Valley castles, Écouen retains an atmosphere of a studious and refined court palace, nestled in a 19-hectare forest that once served as a hunting ground.